


The Smuggler's Bodyguard

by spacenquiet (nukarachacha)



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: M/M, Trans Character, Trans Male Ryder, an au where Ryder REALLY doesn't want to be Pathfinder, idk if slowburn or not but, slowburn, will be rated E in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2018-10-30 10:43:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10875120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nukarachacha/pseuds/spacenquiet
Summary: AU where Koji doesn’t want the role of Pathfinder, conflict inside himself of starting new as a nobody overpowering his reason to find humanity a home in Andromeda. Once out of Nexus grasps, he finds himself on Kadara port among the exiles, finding work with a shady figure who thinks he might just be what he needs..





	1. Intro: Shit's Fucked

**Author's Note:**

> One of many unnecessary Reyder AUs I've had in my head for a while. Will follow most of in game timeline, plus the Reyes content I desperately need. So, this is mainly me, writing my own content lmao OTL

It was never easy being the child of an esteemed soldier. The shadow cast over his children was as dark and heavy as ocean waves during a storm. Every action either did would reflect on the other, resulting in arguments and unintentional distancing between child and father. 

 

In the beginning, it was limited to skipping school, starting fights and hanging out with the wrong crowd.

 

It was only once Koji grew up and his biotic powers started developing around the same time his father, Tetsuya ‘Alec’ Ryder, messed up in the Alliance, causing opportunities of shaping up be taken away from the misfit.

 

In the end, it was that being the reason enough that brought him to where he was now.

 

A hired gun. A body guard at times, an assassin at others and a bounty hunter at most.

 

It was good money, and money was what Koji needed. He didn’t necessarily like killing, all he knew is that he was good at it. After mastering his biotics during his highschool years, it made people wanting his help a lot easier to find. 

 

It also made others aware of how dangerous he actually was. 

 

By the time he was 22 years old, he already had a murder count. One long list of wanted criminals that had money that Koji needed.

 

Of course none of his actions could be traced back to him. He wasn’t sloppy and never left any evidence behind. 

 

Which was one of the  reason he was able to get into the Initiative Program without any problems. It also might have helped the fact that his father was one of the main backers behind the program.

 

In truth, Koji knew he needed to get away from his past. He needed a fresh start, desperately. For his late father, for his sister, for his dad, and most of all, for himself.

 

The Initiative would give him reason to try again, to do good. He could be the botanist he once decided to be, what he wanted to be once upon a time. A peaceful life, clean of past troubles, past regrets, doing one of the few things he actually enjoyed.

 

It was supposed to be new beginnings.

 

But once he opened his eyes to their new promised life in Andromeda, it was obvious his past would forever follow him wherever he went.

 

It was hell.

 

The arc Hyperion crashed nose first into an unknown mass, causing systems to go offline until a manual reset was forced. Power outages along the ship caused any cryo pods being picked to be stuck on the claw, unable to open. Among those being taken down was Koji’s twin sister, Mieko. She would have to wait until everything was in order to be woken. 

 

As if the power outage and crashing in space wasn’t bad enough, the first planet they made it to was barely intact, causing both Pathfinder and Arc Pilot argue over if it was worth it to investigate. It was meant to be their home after all.

 

Despite how harsh reality upon waking up looked, they had to try. For everyone else, it was a fight to claim home. For Koji, it was a test. A reason, to continue in the path of good and forget the past and have a home waiting for when his sister woke from cryo sleep.

 

_ Everything is fucked. _

 

In an hour the Pathfinder was dead. 

 

The old man had sacrificed himself to save him, of all people. 

 

The damage Koji took from the half destroyed planet took a toll on him, almost killing him from overexposure. 

 

The next thing he knew, he was waking up in the med bay, senses tingling like an electric fire. Something was different. Something was  _ off _ .

 

He had just lost his father, yet he could hardly feel a thing. Numbness, apart from the tingling feeling of being brought back to life, encased his body like a shell. 

 

He was told SAM had rebooted his life, jump starting cells that were killed off during the incident. Burnt organic turned half synthetic, replacing scarred cells and nerves in order to keep him breathing.

 

_ That wasn’t it. _

 

The role of Pathfinder was also transferred over to his being, however they had explained it, almost making it sound like a magical force now deemed him leader of humanity. 

 

_ It was originally meant to be your sister apparently, but she’s still in the cryo lab, recovering from waking up. Somehow, you both were given access to Pathfinder status when your father passed. _

 

There it was.

 

An escape route.

 

His father would always give him an exit.

 

The last moment he and his father had before departing the Milky Way was an argument about playing an important role for humanity. Yet he didn’t want grandeur, Koji wanted a normal life as a nobody.

 

Though any thoughts of leaving would have to wait. He needed a reason that would make others realize he needed to leave.

 

And the only reason he could see was after boarding the Nexus, on Eos.

 


	2. Escape

“The doors are closing! Why are they closing?!” 

 

The Turian smuggler, Vetra Nyx, screamed in disbelief, trying her hardest to reopen the old remnant vault doors. The others that had followed them along, a Liam Kosta and an annoyingly curious and hyperactive Asari that went by the name Peebee, joined her in trying to get the door open by force.

 

The plan to escape had derailed for so long Koji had half a mind to try blasting the door open. The synthetic voice in his head kept offering recommendations, the words seeming to begin to click when the death cloud had reached the room they were in. 

 

Forcing the main console to bend to his will resulted in the cloud dissipating, returning back to once it came, deeper within.

 

Before the others could rejoice in escaping with their lives, Koji cloaked without anyone noticing and sped towards the Asari’s parked shuttle at the vault entrance. 

 

The engine roared to life, thrusters rattling with the force of departing so quickly, leaving a blindsided crew dumbstruck on planet ground. 

 

Comms rattled with shocked, angry and disappointed voices once the shuttle breached the radiated atmosphere, breaking into dark space. 

 

_ Where do you think you’re going? _

 

_ Are you serious? _

 

_ Heeeyyy that was my shuttle! _

 

“SAM, turn off comm links. Make sure they can’t trace me.” 

 

The voices continued to rattle in his earpiece while he pulled up a map the Asari had installed in the shuttle. There were a few points on the map where it would be possible for him to land and hide out in, but the voices screaming for him in his ear kept continuing. “SAM.”

 

“Pathfinder, this is a highly counterproductive move. I cannot--”

 

With an irritated grumble, Koji turned on his Omnitool and began to hack into his earpiece himself, putting all settings and commlinks to off as well as wiping his location. Training to be an Infiltrator had proven useful at least.

 

“Wake my sister up. She’s the Pathfinder too. I never signed up for this fucking job.”

 

“I must remind you, that even with you assigning your sister as Pathfinder, I am now a part of you. If your sister wishes, it is possible for her to track you down because of your matching implants.”

 

More problems. There was never an end to it.

 

Taking out the implant would be a sure way of making him a ghost but it would be too dangerous without an experienced doctor of that field. There was also no such thing as an off-switch to a symbiotic connection between him and SAM. The only possible answer to becoming a ghost/deserter was to continually hack his location in SAM until he figured something else out, found a doctor to perform the operation, or he and SAM worked something out.

 

Decisions, decisions.

 

All choices were going to be too troublesome either way, Koji decided. For now, all he could really do was find a place far away enough, and quickly enough to get away from the crew he abandoned. 

 

The map in the shuttle had a few prime locations marked with little notes, though only one marked planet truly stood out to him. 

 

**Kadara Port: bunch of baddies stay away optional**

 

Addison and the other Initiative heads had mentioned the outcasts and exiles setting up on other planets. If they were that feared, then hiding out there would be a good enough place until they stopped looking for him, if they even try to look for him at all. The only problem was the distance, and winding tunnels of the Scourge preventing him from traveling straight there.

 

With the amount of time needed to make it anywhere near his supposed sanctuary, Koji decided to take a look around the Asari’s shuttle, hoping she had stowed away any supplies from whatever broken outpost she had come from.

 

Applying autopilot to the ship’s handles, Koji stepped back from the pilot’s seat to take a look around. What little lights the ship could use in order to conserve power was barely enough to provide assistance in maneuvering around. 

 

There were god knows what littering the floor and empty seats for who knows what. Random low battery datapads were scattered in safer locations, away from areas people (or someone?) would step on.

 

Very little on them made sense, most likely being coded notes of the research she did back on Eos before his arrival. The notes didn’t matter anymore, Koji tossing them onto a growing pile of sellable junk he would pawn off for whatever measly amount of credit chits they would be worth.

 

He continued moving the previous owners personal belongings into the pile he made, not finding anything worth keeping with him as important. 

 

“There is a hidden compartment under one of the seats.” SAM interjected, just as Koji began to get comfortable in the pilot’s seat again.

 

He grunted a reply, checking his omnitool to make sure the hack was still active. The frequency he was barely able to pick up died back down to a flat line. He didn’t trust anything he could pick up in the middle of dark space, even if it was one of the newer alien race they met.

 

The idea of running back into the Kett, now, in such a small defenseless cruiser, made Koji wonder if it really was such a good idea to go to such an extreme to escape. The doubt he would always have began to grow inside him again, causing his sore muscles to ache even more painfully again.

 

He pushed through the doubt, taking a deep breath to gather his thoughts and ease his nerves. Just as it would before, the calming method failed to work but it at least brought his thoughts back to reality.

 

The dim glow of the stars through the ship’s mirrors made him question himself again. There was no going back. 

 

The Milky Way was an untouchable safe haven now.

 

He was back into being thrown into the unknown.

 

Whatever new danger he would face in the future, he would face by himself and survive.

 

“Ryder, we are prone to possible collision in 10 meters.”

 

At his words, Koji maneuvered the ship to a halt, barely missing the edge of another scourge wall, just as the Nexus had done days ago. The sound of burning and scraping metal alerted him of possible damage, loud alarms beginning to ring within the small shuttle. 

 

“The shuttle is damaged. We will not last long in space. Finding somewhere to land would be a wise idea.” The robotic suggestion came off sarcastic, despite the AI being incapable of being sarcastic.

 

“Find me a planet to land on SAM. Quick!” Koji barked out, taking a look back to see if there was any breach in the hull. A small fire was beginning to burn through, but other than that, there was no immediate need to fix anything.

 

“There is a planet in the Zaubray system close by. It is inhabited by outcasts as well as Krogan exiles.”

 

Perfect. 

 

It wasn’t the place he wanted to go to but it would work for now, until he would be able to fix his ship. With the little damage the ship took, he would only stay there for a minute and then be off again. 

 

It wouldn’t give the Initiative much time to track him down, if they even were trying to.

 

Koji set the ship back to autopilot with new coordinates to the planet he would need to safely land on before running over to the ship fire and quickly putting it out. The ship’s shielding held enough to prevent any suction out through the small hole created from the accident, giving Koji enough time to weld the breakage closed.

 

With the danger of being spaced gone, the runaway Pathfinder settled back into the seats nearby, tossing the welding tool onto the floor carelessly. His thoughts drifted back into the past, dark memories swirling around in his head like a biotic bubble he created too close. As much as he didn’t want to think about what he was becoming again, he couldn’t help but know that it wouldn’t have mattered, if he stayed as Pathfinder or left. He would always be the same. The long list of dead would stick with him, scarred onto his back like a brand.

 

His father came to mind.

 

How much he had given up, how much he forcefully tried to help him get better, only to end up dead. No matter how much any of them tried, they couldn’t prevent the inevitable.

 

His sickness was a result of his own actions after all. 

 

If anything, Koji would most likely end up like him. Dead by whatever his past was tainted with.

 

Faded memories of both his fathers together, smiling, in happier times only made his resolve stronger. 

 

He had to leave.

 

When he didn’t leave then, it only made things worse for his family.

 

Now he finally managed to leave, with one of them still alive.

 

As long as he stayed as far away as possible from his sister, she would remain safe. She was stronger than him after all, not just physically but mentally as well. She handled the death of their father’s with grace, with the emotion of an orphaned child fighting for her own life, whereas he felt hardly a thing. Emotional repression, or just dissociation, Koji still didn’t know what it was that made him so numb. But Mieko knew how to control it. How to grow from it. 

 

Sudden turbulence woke Koji up from a sweat drenched sleep. He didn’t realize when he had drifted off or for how long, but now he knew he was close to starting his new life as a ghost. Any lingering thoughts of the past went ignored, taking into account the approaching land mass.

 

The break of atmosphere rattled the damaged ship, causing Koji to take the helm of the ship to steady it. SAM instructed him on what to do in order to land safely, warning him of the hazards of the alien planet while directing him to a nearby port. 

 

There were other barely damaged ships littering the small trading post, belonging to scavengers and temperamental survivors alike. 

 

_ [With the way they are eyeing the ship, it would be wise to don non-Initiative armor in order to remain inconspicuous and not warrant any unwanted tempers, Ryder.] _ SAM advised secretly, speaking within Koji’s own similar thoughts.

 

Nimble hands quickly removed any armor with the Initiative logo stamped on it, resulting in a practically naked Koji. His thoughts went back to the hidden compartment SAM had mentioned when first commandeering the shuttle, ducking down onto the floor below the seating and prying a loose wall piece open. The box that was hidden within was slid out, half opened lid revealing random cloth and what appeared to be a basic armor body suit underneath more random clutter. 

 

It was standard worker gear accompanied by some kind of shawl, most likely handed out to protect any patrollers of the dust storms on Eos. For now, it would do for a disguise, at least until he found a merchant with decent armor for sale. In a scavenger’s paradise like Elaaden, there would most likely be a wide variety, salvaged by any means necessary.

 

After stepping out of the shuttle, donning non-Initiative armor and carrying a crate full of repossessed junk, any onlookers nearby turned back to discretely checking out the ship, braver scavengers eyeing Koji up and down as he walked into the small market buildings. He kept an eye on any of the braver scavengers littering the parked shuttles, activating a defense turret secretly underneath the protective shawl by his omnitool. It would alert him of any ‘rough touches’ to his only way off the planet as well as attack any who managed to pry open the doors to claim the ship as their own.

 

“Ryder. There is a stall nearby that shows an interest in salvaged items you possess.” SAM interjected aloud in his earpiece, drawing Koji’s attention to where he was directioning him to.

 

The vendor the AI mentioned surprised Koji. He was a species he’d never seen before, memories of the Kett causing hesitation in approaching the stall. As if the vendor knew he was being watched, the azure toned alien turned to glance over his shoulder, large eyes that seemed to be filled with galaxies scrutinizing the human with just a look. 

 

“Never seen an Angara before, outsider?” He asked, tone menacing with known speculation. “Look as long as you’d like, won’t give you a discount for anything you find just because you’re new.”

 

Shaking out of the awed daze he was in, Koji ducked his head in apology, placing the box of salvage onto the shop’s stand. “Just left my people. Not used to much.” He offered, taking out bits and pieces of things in hopes of catching the vendor’s eye on something. “How much would you give for these?” 

 

The vendor looked the small pieces over, glancing through the datapads and what was written in them before placing them in a neat pile to the side. “Depends on what you’re asking for. Need salvage, water, or munition?”

 

Mention of water made Koji swallow, dried throat screaming for the drink.

 

“Little bit of everything really.” He admitted, the vendor nodding his head in understanding. With the state the planet was in, it most likely was a recurring answer. The alien shop owner pulled up a small pad connected to the shop. A list of weapons and other supplies lit up the screen.

 

“Check what you need and I’ll get them for you.” He grunted, placing the sold items back into the crate and tucking them behind his stall. “With what you’ve given me, should be worth the price of a week of your people’s rations and maybe a weapon or two. ‘Less you see something else you need.”

 

Counting the amount the items were sold for and adding them to the amount of credit he started off with, he would not be able to purchase rations along with any armor, despite what little the shop had and in the condition they were in. “Parts needed to fix the shuttle are being sold at a different stall.” SAM chimed in, helping Koji unintentionally in choosing what he needed.

 

The vendor handed Koji the week of rations and transferred over the remaining currency from the trade. “If you need water, Annea’s shop handles it. Best get there quick before she stops selling for the day.”

 

“Thank you.” Koji nodded, walking away from the stall and to where he was pointed to. 

 

Water was of higher necessity than fixing something he could fix another time. If he was lucky, he could pawn off other things like his armor for a higher price and get his ship in working condition by tomorrow. 

 

The stall to the water vendor was a few feet away yet seemed unreachable. There was a swarm of people at the front desk of the store, all barking angrily amongst each other, some scavengers outside the building fighting to get to the front of the crowd. As if the burning rays of the sun weren’t enough, desperate people fighting for water rammed into Koji from behind, shoving him into the midst of the bundled crowd.

 

The hot breaths blowing against his face, sharp elbows digging into his sides and dirty hands trying to grab at anything he wasn’t holding onto tightly caused Koji’s skin to crawl. Anxiety from being in such densely packed surroundings began to make him reconsider getting water from the shop in that moment.

 

“We have to hurry. Her store’s about to close!” A scavenger whispered to another, hand pushing Koji further in as they tried to get by him.

 

“Stupid Angaran bitch, she can’t keep water from us!” Another somewhere further up scoffed angrily to whoever she was with. 

 

Beginning to stand as much as he could, Koji forced himself closer to the front, weaving between unsuspecting angry scavengers without detection.  He couldn’t stand being in such close confines with those people much longer, sweat beginning to roll down his back inside the body suit he wore. It was surprising no one else had passed out with how hot it was inside the shop building. 

 

The scowling Angara that greeted him at the front of the stall looked him over, looking slightly impressed at him for making it to the front. “Water?” She asked, ignoring the other screaming buyers nearby. 

 

Koji nodded, throat beginning to scratch against his tongue with how thirsty he had become. 

 

“Thousand credits.” She stated, placing a half full gallon of water onto the counter.

 

“A thousand credits!” Koji exclaimed, brows furrowing in shock. “That’s too much for what little water you’re selling.”

 

Smirk pulling at the shop keeper’s lips, her hand reached for the gallon. “Them’s shop’s prices.”

 

Just watching the other make a move for the water made Koji falter in fighting the keeper. There had to be a way to lower the pricing. 

 

“I’ll pay.” Annea smirked when he gave in, noticing the other look back up at her after paying. “Next time, if you have any work that needs to be done, I’ll do it in exchange for water.”

 

She scoffed, waving him off. “As if I needed a filthy off worlder’s help with anything.”

 

* * *

 

The cool liquid felt like heaven as it slid down Koji’s throat, swallowing around it to soothe the dryness of his mouth. 

 

The half gallon would hardly last him until the next day if he stayed on the scorching hot planet. Yet it was the water that would make it impossible to leave, as it had left him with barely any credits left to purchase anything more. He didn’t even have to look through the other shop’s inventories to know he wouldn’t be able to purchase anything more. 

 

What little he had left would be to save up for more water in the coming days.

 

Until then, he would have to look around for odd jobs, hoping they could pay him in more than just credits. It was a risk he would have to take. 

 

“If I stay on this planet for more than two days, I’m never going to get off.” Koji mumbled to himself, closing the almost empty gallon of water. His seat in the cool shade beneath a tree barely cooled him off enough to make him slightly sweaty, the coldness of the shade combined with his sweat being a good enough combo to keep him cool. 

 

At the sound of beeping coming from his omnitool, Koji quickly turned back to where he left his shuttle. From the small distance he was at, he could see two scavengers poking around the vehicle, hands pulling and nudging at loose areas, trying to get whatever they could free.

 

At the sight of Koji’s approaching form, one of the smarter ones ran off, leaving his partner backed up against the door of the ship. A gloved hand slammed next to the unlucky scavenger’s head, causing them to turn around and face the shuttle’s owner.

 

They were either braver, or stupider to think of standing up against Koji after being caught trying to take apart his mode of transportation. “Yeah? Fuck you looking at?” They spat, helmet changing their voice to a garbled barely comprehensible mess.

 

“That’s my ship you’re poking at.” Koji warned, anger rising with the increasing heat of being in direct sunlight. Purple biotics began to weave in the air, the disillusioned scavenger ignoring the warning of a fight in the making and instead making the first move by throwing a punch. The biotic dodged out of the way, radiating biotic fusing around the offender’s curled fist, Koji clenching his own, increasing the pressure slightly to squeeze the hand and crush the bones within.

 

The scavenger’s screams bit through the lingering crowd of onlookers and loiterers, multiple eyes watching as the injured person was flung away from the shuttle they tried to take apart.

 

With the offender now gone, Koji opened the shuttle, stepping inside the barely cold enough accommodation. The inside of the shuttle was cool enough to keep the outside temperature from rising, something Koji was grateful for.

 

For now, he would be living in the damaged ship until he would be able to repair it. With how barren the desert planet looked from entering the atmosphere, he guessed settlements were not able to be situated properly without them falling apart. Either by scavengers being scavengers, or by other unknown hostilities, Koji could only guess. The Krogan could still be a possible factor in it as well, seeing as how they probably claimed the planet as their own.

 

If there were hostilities, it also would mean a possible job availability as protection.

 

Koji just had to ask around.

 

“Nice fight back there.”

 

Or wait for someone to walk up.

 

The Turian that approached stopped a foot away from the entrance to his shuttle, her golden eyes taking a once over the vehicle. The sound of a case of rations being torn open brought her attention back to what she came over for.

 

“You handled yourself pretty well back there for someone fresh off the Arc.” She began, folding her arms over her chest. “I take it you were part of security?”

 

A laugh pulled itself out from Koji’s chest. “Something like that. Got a job for someone like me, miss?”

 

Subharmonics flared into song with a laugh, the Turian shaking her head. “I can tell you need off this planet. Don’t blame you.” she said, watching as Koji downed a portion of his meal, crumbs of the dry porridge he was eating rolling off the side of his mouth. “I need someone to help me with a favor I owe a buyer. Not sure if you know much on stealth with that show back there, but someone with tuned biotics like yours could do the trick.”

 

Koji took another sip of his water, swishing it around in his mouth before swallowing. “What’s the pay?”

 

“A gallon of filtered water and a trip to Kadara port, if you do well.”

 

“And if I do more than well?”

 

A smile flared the Turian woman’s mandibles apart, stone like appendages clacking against the sides of her mouth. “A stable job on Kadara. Plus the water.” The hands she had crossed were placed on her hips. “Job makes very good money, more than you’ll ever make here trading parts.”

 

Placing the now empty ration package to the side, Koji wiped at his mouth. The smile that was revealed made the smuggler optimistic, mandibles once again showing her enthusiasm in hiring the other.

 

“Guess it’s both our lucky day then.” Koji nodded, stepping out of his shuttle. He extended his hand, gripping tightly onto the other’s three fingered one in agreement.


	3. The Job

The job began early the next morning, the planet barely dark enough to be considered early morning. Koji was amazed there even was such a thing as night on the planet, what with it being a moon and all. 

 

What little darkness was left would be used as cover in order to infiltrate the small ‘city’ a bunch of exiled scavengers made on the side of a mountain.

 

Velonia, the smuggler who hired him, had given a run down of the location and what the job entitled. If all went according to plan, Koji would be in and out without alerting the whole sheltered city.

 

The job was easy compared to other jobs Koji had done. The task was to retrieve a package for a buyer for Velonia’s contact. It was meant to be exchanged at Kadara port days ago before being hijacked and lost on Elaaden. Rumors were that the Flophouse was where scavengers stashed stolen goods. 

 

“The Flophouse is pretty well guarded, walls and sides of mountains blocking most access points ideal to get in and out.” Velonia began to explain on the shuttle ride over. “I’ll drop you off on one side of the place but you’re gonna have to get to the side opposite of it. The stash should be in a locked building next to generators.”

 

Koji looked over his weapons, keeping count how much ammo he had for each gun.  _ Five clips of twelve for my handgun, three of four for my sniper. _ The dust of the desert planet was nowhere to be seen on his weapons of choice, Koji considering himself lucky he didn’t need to use them until now. If he had need to use them before, he was sure the job he had now would be more difficult than it was. 

 

“Oh, also, if you find any weapons inside that you like, don’t worry too much on taking them. I’m sure they wouldn’t notice.” Velonia added, looking next to her. “We’ll wait for you on the side of the cliff, hidden. Contact me on my comm channel when you’re ready for pickup.”

 

The shuttle came to a slowing halt a few meters away from where the entrance point would be, curving hillsides providing enough cover for the vehicle to remain undetected.

 

“What should I call you?” The Turian smuggler asked after Koji dropped from the ship. He tugged the hood of his shawl over his head and nose, protecting him of the dust kicked up by the ship’s thrusters. 

 

“I’d rather not use my name if that’s fine with you.” He offered, looking up at his sponsor. “Refer to me as  _ Ikiryo _ for now.”

 

With a nod, the Turian flew off, leaving Koji to do his job.

 

The ground of the mountainside still burned with the heat of the day before, urging Koji to quicken his steps closer and closer to the base. He was met with a makeshift metal fence, towering about six meters tall.

 

_ Easy enough. _ He convinced himself, jumping with a boost of his biotics to grab onto a loose edge of metal, pulling himself higher and higher until he reached the top. 

 

Making sure there weren’t any patrolling guards around, Koji dropped down as quietly as he could. The instructions given to him told him that the locked supply stash would be on the far side of the base, where it seemed most of the buildings were grouped up in.

 

Quick footwork brought him to decent cover behind an empty outpost, allowing him to survey the area ahead even more. 

 

Two guards were seated in front of the only passage to the building he needed to get in. The two seemed distracted enough to not notice him approach if he was lucky and cloaked, leaving entering inside the building without detection the difficult part. 

 

The door would more than likely be heavily locked, maybe having two to three encryption locks installed to the door. The time needed in order to unlock the building would hinder him staying undetected for long. 

 

_ [Ryder. I would be able to help unlock the door, however you would have to remain in the vicinity undetected.] _ SAM offered, giving him the same option he already came up with. If anything, SAM would take away a few seconds of the time needed to unlock the building. The two guards would still be a problem though.

 

Seeing as there wasn’t much of an option left, Koji quickly moved in, cloaking halfway to his target location before biotic blinking to the top of a nearby building. Still undetected, Koji dropped down next to one of the guards, arms wrapping around the scavenger’s neck and quickly knocking him out before doing the same to his partner nearby, opting out to hitting the other against his neck to stun him before choking him out as well. The other barely realized his friend had dropped unconscious before he fell along with him. Koji dropped the two onto the floor carefully on top of each other in a warm embrace before stepping away to get to his main objective.

 

_ Let’s see what kind of security they have here. _ Rubbing his hands together almost excitedly, Koji turned on his omnitool and began checking the lock. As expected, the two locks placed on the door were encrypted but not as heavily as he expected. They were just scavengers after all. 

 

Koji had to remember the people in Andromeda were not the same people he knew back in the Milky Way. Resources were not in abundance and heavy encryption locks were not the norm. At least on Elaaden they weren't yet.

 

Half a minute passed before one of the locks was broken in, Koji working alongside SAM in order to open the last one as quickly as possible. 

 

Daylight was beginning to break, the cover of night being lost as sun rays spilled over the side of the mountain into the hidden valley. The heat from morning light brought sweat to drip down Koji’s forehead, the pressure to quickly finish the job he was given beginning to get to him. 

 

The sound of a successful hack brought a smile to Koji’s face, skillful hands pushing the door to open before closing behind him. He didn’t know if anyone would be awake, the two unconscious guards included, so he had to remain careful.

 

The room inside would barely be considered half full of stolen supplies, making it easier to spot what the job entitled him to look for. On one side of the room, rows of weapons lined the walls, ranging from heavy hitting hand pistols, to alien sniper rifles. On the other were boxes of stolen supplies ranging from Nexus origin to Angaran. 

 

There being no time to waste, Koji began digging through boxes, making sure to look through what size he expected the one he was looking for to be first. 

 

The comm in his ear sounded with connection, Velonia’s voice breaking through static. “I’d hurry if I were you. The scavengers will be waking up soon. Remember, the package you’re looking for will have a stamp on the side and weigh hardly anything.”

 

Taking note of the advice, Koji quickly moved bare boxes to the side, making sure to note anything with what looked like a stamp.

 

Being down to two packages now, Koji quickly weighed them by hand, tucking the lighter one under his arm before turning back to the door. He glanced once more to the weapons stored in the room, temptation getting the better of him as he grabbed and replaced his Viper with a Valient.

 

The sun was shining brightly once Koji stepped out of the room, quickly making his way out and towards the pickup point. “Velonia, I’m on my way.”

 

“Not bad.” She replied, static still heavily interfering with her voice. “Hurry back and we’ll leave to Kadara port in the next hour.”

 

Just as he entered the valley, Koji used his biotics to help jump over tall cliff edges and onto higher ground, being able to only use one arm not slowing him down in the least. When the shuttle came into view above the cliffside, a sudden rush of adrenaline pumped within his veins. The plan he originally had was beginning to come into fruition.

 

With one final jump he would be right beneath where the shuttle was waiting. Just one jump distance away from his new life.

 

“Where do you think you’re going?”

 

A hand gripped tightly onto the ankle of Koji’s leg, yanking him down as he tried to pull himself up to the last ridge of the mountain. Quick thinking allowed him to let go of the package, leaving it to rest on the top of the cliff where whoever caught Koji wouldn’t see.

 

Whoever it was that had grabbed onto Koji was able to dangle him upside down one-handed, the shift in perspective making his vision swirl.

 

Near his line of sight, wide three-toed feet gave Koji an insight into who apprehended him. Yet it was a familiar scarred face that brought worry to the apathetic infiltrator. 

 

“Hey Nux..” Koji waved awkwardly from where he was dangling. “You live here?”

 

The large Krogan grunted, pulling the other up so they were face to face more or less. Sweat, that wasn’t due to the raising temperatures, rolled down the side of Koji’s temple as one glaring red eye stared him down.

 

“What are you doing here, Ry?” Nux spat, dropping his captive to the floor as gentle as a Krogan was known for. “Don’t tell me one of the guys already have a number on their name?” The question came out amused despite the Krogan not looking it. 

 

Koji shook his head, thinking of some excuse on the spot. “I was stranded here, my ship breaking down a few miles off. Got trapped in here and decided to get out of here as best I could before I stepped on any toes.”

 

Nux seemed to contemplate his words, crossing his arms across his chest in thought. Koji inched his way back closer to the cliff where he left the package, a quiet grating sound telling him he would be in real trouble real soon if he didn’t check on it quickly.

 

The krogan glanced back to him, approaching Koji yet stopping an inch away. “If you’re lying to me, next time I see you you’re going to be a puddle on the floor.” He threatened, a sharp pointed finger jabbing Koji in the chest. “Now go. Before I change my mind.”

 

A touched smile graced Koji’s face, earning a sheepish huff from Nux as Koji passed by him to jump back up to the ledge he was grabbed from. He stopped to look back at the leaving Krogan, picking a small pebble nearby and throwing it against his head to catch his attention. With a threatened growl, Nux turned and looked up.

 

“It was nice seeing you again.” Koji winked, stepping onto the shuttle waiting for him, giving one last wave before shutting the door.

 

Velonia looked back, taking the small box from Koji before turning on her omnitool to send a message. Her words of confirmation of retrieval for the lost delivery went unnoticed by Koji, the infiltrator sitting back on the seats in the back of the shuttle. It felt surreal coming across someone from his past, especially one so close as the Krogan was. 

 

Further proof he had to get off Elaaden.

 

* * *

 

Once back at the Paradise, Koji was dropped off near where he hid his shuttle from prying eyes, Velonia walking forward for a few last words.

 

“You did good out there. Hell, more than good.” She smiled, tossing him a full gallon of water. She watched as he took long gulps of the drink, wiping his mouth of any run away drops once he had his fill. “I let my contact know you’ll be under his care now. And after seeing how good you are with my own eyes, you won’t have to worry about your next meal or drink.” The shuttle rattled back to life as it began to depart. “Rest up. We’ll be back in an hour after finishing some things up.”

 

The shuttle flew off, leaving Koji to figure out who to sell his damaged shuttle to.

 

Velonia receded back into her own shuttle, securing the small package where her other deliveries were. The omnitool against her arm rang, blinking orange light notifying her of an incoming call.

 

“What do you think? Exactly what you were looking for right?” 

 

Static disrupted the call line, allowing only half of what the other said to come out clearly. “--how long until-- arrive?”

 

The Turian smuggler laughed, checking over her inventory as the shuttle settled at another outpost for a drop off. “Always the impatient one, Reyes. We’ll be leaving for Kadara port in the next hour.”

 

The sound of static continued to hinder the conversation from the caller’s end, words finally breaking through that settled any worry Velonia might have had. “Consider the debt settled, friend.”

 

With that, the call ended, orange light from the omnitool dying down before disappearing. Satisfied with how the call went, the Turian woman continued the job she had for the next hour, humming happily to herself.

 

* * *

 

Reyes reclined in his chair, finger running across his chin absent mindedly. The video Velonia had attached to her earlier message played on a portable console, the image of an experienced infiltrator gracing the screen. The recording was shaky at most, but it got the point across that the recorded knew what they were doing and did it well.

 

The fact that they were a biotic was an added bonus.

  
“He’ll do just fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reyes!! Hmmm whats he got up his sleeve i wonder? And who was the one eyed krogan?? :o I had a lot of fun writing this chapter :P I prefer writing fighting/action scenes than anything else lol


	4. Settling In

Kadara Port was amazing.

 

The moment the growing settlement came to view, it took Koji’s breath away. There were buildings, professionally built landing stations and neon lights littering the entrance and landing zone. It was as if the people had taken a chunk of Earth and brought it to Andromeda.

 

The scenery almost brought a tear to his eye. 

 

“Not like I enjoy telling you what to do but, you should get yourself situated first things first. It’ll probably be a few days until you make contact with your new boss.” Velonia advised before departing to continue the many jobs she had left. 

 

With the small box tucked under his arm once again, Koji made a beeline to get inside the city, waiting impatiently on the balls of his feet for the port gates to open. The sound of neon buzzing within its glass confines made Koji feel reminiscent and excited at the same time. It brought back memories of when he lived in Japan and when he took the two hour drive from his family’s home to Tokyo just to party the night away. 

 

There would always be something that would ruin his buzz, however.

 

“No guns.” The stern voice of an exile in charge of gate influx stated once the gate was opened, snapping Koji out of his blissful state. When Koji didn’t respond, she pointed to a spiked beheaded Kett nearby before repeating her words from before. “No guns inside. Unless you want to end up like our friend here.”

 

The disgusting laugh the woman wheezed out was convincing enough for Koji to agree to follow through with the rules. It wasn’t like he was any less dangerous without weapons anyway. 

 

_ [Ryder.]  _ SAM resonated inside Koji’s head, artificial voice intertwining with his own thoughts. _  [There doesn’t seem to be anyone in the vicinity that will help with accommodations. I suggest heading to the slums below the city. There, it is more likely for you to purchase housing momentarily.] _

 

As much as Koji didn’t like listening to the AI in his head, he had to agree that having a place secured that he would call his home first and foremost was the better idea. He could become accustomed to the city port after.

 

He wouldn’t make the mistake of throwing away his money without knowing he had a place to stay again. 

 

Never again.

 

The gate guard gave Koji an odd look as he exited the city before he even set foot inside, gate closing behind him. He quickly made his way to the elevator, stepping inside and taking it down. 

 

The smell of sulphur hit him as soon as the lift hit the ground, the strong smell stabbing into his nose like a rotten egg hidden in the back of the fridge. The map notes failed to mention the port was situated so close to the sulphuric bogs. Even worse, the area where people lived in was surrounded by smaller sulphur springs, Koji wondering how long it would take him to get used to the smell.

 

It took an hour of wandering in dirty alleys to find someone that could at least help. The Salarian, currently twitchy from some addiction withdrawal, showed him what was passed off as homes for the people of Kadara. If you weren’t part of the top of the food chain, i.e. the ‘rulers’ and ‘bureaucrats’ of Kadara, you were subjected and forced to live in the slums in houses made out of shipping crates or, if you were a little wealthier, scavenged building materials with the end product looking more like the average house and less of a hipster’s excuse of a house with bad ventilation. 

 

“This one is the cheapest but most secure.” The green Salarian stuttered, twitching hand motioning to the inside. “I-it also comes with a lock! Lights are wired in and can be controlled through your omnitool. I-if you choose to buy of course!”

 

With the eye of a professional, Koji began to check out the small home repurposed from an old fashioned shipping crate. The wiring for lighting was sloppy but sustainable at most if reinforced to not be tampered with. The same thing could be applied to the lock. He could rewire the lock to be mained from within rather than outside, fixing the outside with a higher encrypted one for double measure. The crate also came with what remained of the original lock, a large metal pole one reminiscent of pre-tech life decades before his time. That would come in handy if any unwanted visitors  tried knocking at his door or were somehow able to hack the locks and tried to get inside with him in it.

 

Despite having to make minor adjustments to the living arrangements, Koji decided he rather liked and prefered the small living space compared to the others he was shown. There was only one small problem however.

 

“What’s the catch?” 

 

The Salarian flinched at the question, large black eyes darting around the room. “I-I-I..”

 

Before Koji could press any further, a sharp stabbing pain cut through the side of his head, a high frequency ringing caused his internal lobe to itch before the feeling disappeared almost immediately. Koji stuttered on his feet, being put off balance by the sudden intrusive sound inside his ears and head. The Salarian realtor looked at him confused and scared, nervous hands wringing together in front of his chest. SAM echoed something within his thoughts, the artificial voice sounding distant and muffled compared to the way he usually spoke inside his head. 

 

With a shake of his head to get the sudden feeling out, Koji turned on his omnitool to transfer the purchase cost for the house before kicking the shaken Salarian out.

 

The door slammed heavily shut behind the alien, Koji leaning against a metal wall and sliding down to the floor. He could still feel the sting inside his ears, the finger he used to pick at his ear doing nothing to ease the feeling.

 

“What was that SAM?” Koji hesitantly asked. He could feel the humidity already begin to heat up the closed crate, quickly standing back up and opening the door.

 

“Your sister has obtained a memory shard.” 

 

Brows furrowed at the explanation. “A what?”

 

He could practically feel the codes wiring up within his brain as SAM prepared him for a long explanation. “A memory fragment your father has locked away within me, as well as you and your sister’s SAM implant. The connection you and your sister have to me has allowed you to feel and ultimately know, when your sister has unlocked a memory. Memories are only unlockable the further you or your sister progress as Pathfinder.”

 

_ Even after death, dad still somehow makes himself the most important person through our hardship. _ Koji snarked within his own head, eyes rolling at just the thought of reliving a memory of his father’s. 

 

Seeing as there was no point in wasting more time in a feeling that had already passed, Koji stood back up and looked over the work he had for the rest of the day. He quickly unpacked the bag he brought with him, the gleam of Initiative armor dropping heavily against the floor alongside his weapons, which were placed more carefully alongside the package his future boss would be expecting, and other supplies he purchased on Elaaden.

 

Despite what he had brought with him, there was still the need to purchase essentials and recourses to make the metal box more of a home than a shipping package. The encrypted lock would take the longest to create, Koji knowing no one on the desolate sulphur pit would have one with how low resources were. If he was lucky, there would be someone in the upper market area that was selling a powerful enough console he could write his own encryption for the lock outside. 

 

Then again, he could just snag one the moment he saw one lying unattended.

 

It would save him the money.

 

With his supply bag now empty, Koji set out to the upper level of the port to go shopping, grimacing when the stink of the planet dug itself into his nose again.

 

\---

 

Hours passed by the time Koji arrived back to his new home. The sun had began to set, casting an orange glow across the dingy streets of the slums of Kadara. The ground was wet with fog, something Koji didn’t know was a possibility with how much sulfur and fire lakes there were on the planet.

 

For now, he had a bed available to sleep in and some material to help reinforce the wiring in his abode. With what remained of his savings, he would use for emergency rations, unless he got word from his job.

 

He still was not able to find a decent enough computer console that could withstand the kind of encryption he would create for his locks. The kind the crate came with would have to do for security for now, however unreliable it was.

 

With night quickly approaching, Koji set to work starting with ventilation and lighting. The small holes along the top of the crate would be useful in getting an easy start in creating a ventilation access point. It would also provide as a good enough hide away compartment for wiring and storage. Seeing as how his living space was practically boxed in, save for it facing directly where the sun shone from at an angle, he began to work on cutting the hole for ventilation on the side hugging other homes in order for it and the secret compartment not be tampered with.

 

It took about half an hour of cutting for him to make a reasonable sized hole, and another half hour to build the base for the ventilator. By the time he finished welding the pieces together to the wall of his home, he had to use the given light that came with his requisite armor from the Initiative to check over his work due to nightfall. All that he had left to do was attach the small ventilation machine and he would be done with outside work.

 

The night was dark in the slums, what little light was given from street lamps and nearby neon signs barely shining bright enough to pierce the fog that blew from the sulphur lakes nearby. The chatter and constant bass from the nearby club slowly grew louder with how late it had become, Koji casting a wary eye at the patrons that entered and exited the lot. 

 

Being so close to a club was something Koji didn’t mind, memories of nights out in Tokyo and Shibuya helped him drone out the bass and drunken chatter into just a distant sound he could work to. 

 

Koji sighed, stretching tight shoulder muscles. The sound of approaching individuals made him put a pause to his work, watching behind the cover of night as they approached the small corner his home was tucked away in. Their laughter was enough of a hint to understand what the group were about to do. Growing discomfort at the growing sounds of pleasure, Koji made his way through the hole he made, pulling the last piece he needed to weld behind him, securing it in place once he was safe inside his home.

 

The sounds of the couples could still be heard through the walls of his home, causing a groan to rip its way out from Koji’s throat. If that was the ‘catch’ the realtor was so nervous about sharing, Koji regretted shooing him away before he could say anything. _ Hopefully it’s just a one time thing and not a recurring one. _ He thought to himself as he idly finished installing the ventilator. 

 

Even with the noises of the newly installed air filtration, the moans of the party-goers outside could still be heard faintly, causing Koji to slam his head against a wall. “Why the fuck are people so gross.”

 

“It is within man’s instincts to reproduce.” Came SAM’s unnecessary explanation. “Life on Kadara and other inhabited planets where fighting to survive is crucial has resulted in high levels of stress, their bodies turning to whatever they can find in order to create endorphins.”

 

_ That’s soooo interesting.. _ Koji groaned in his head, trying his best to ignore the voice. Seeing how little interest Koji seemed to have at his explanation, SAM quieted back down, observing what his carrier would do next.

 

It was an hour past midnight when Koji decided he was finished with any upgrades his house needed for the moment. His eyes stung with how dry they were and with how much strain he put them through due to staring at the welding he was doing. The darkened glass that came with the Initiative helmet hardly protected his eyes from the bright light. 

 

_ Maybe by the time I wake up tomorrow those fuckers will be done. _ He sighed, lying down on his flat mattress. With just settling into his stiff mattress, the stressed muscles along his shoulders and down his back began to lose their tension, allowing him to relax for once since waking up in Andromeda.

 

The darkness of his small rectangular home welcomed him into a deep sleep, the thumping bass of the nearby club acting as a lullaby. The temperature within the crate began to stabilize, warming up little by little with the passing time, the rising temperature coaxing Koji to fall further into his dreams and rest his tired eyes.

 

Visions began to swirl behind closed eyes as the tired runaway fell into deeper sleep, sighing a soft breath as a story began to play. 

 

There were no sounds yet he could tell the apparitions within his mind were yelling. Balled fists were clenched to their sides as their mouth widened and snapped shut with harsh words he couldn’t hear. Eyes behind and around him, stared, unblinkingly at his every movement. 

 

Numbness shocked him still, every nerve in his body screaming at him to get away, to move. A distant rattling caught his attention, shaking vision turning next to him only to see nothing but a large unwavering eye in the darkness, staring back at him. The piercing stare laid unmoving, a feeling of knowing and pity emanating from the shifting color of its pupil. 

 

A quiet tremor shook the area around him, the numerous eyes slowly dissolving back into the darkness as the tremors grew and grew with intensity. It was only once the singular beady eye was staring at him from behind the blurred body from whom he was receiving a scolding from was left, that a loud thump resonated and scared it away, leaving him alone in the dark. Another thump shook him to his core before he felt himself begin to wake up.

 

It wasn’t the sound of moans still echoing in the slums that woke him up however. At first it was the loud hiss. 

 

Then it was the eruption of smell that made him fully get up, fully awake from the five hours of sleep he had gotten, standing back straight on his bed and trying to figure what in the fuck that was and where it was coming from. 

 

The stench of sulphur was agonizingly strong, burning its way a path up his nose and down his throat, resulting in a hearty gag. 

 

A quick search outside proved useful in finding the cause of his sudden awakening. A small sulphur pool, unnoticeable to any without a trained eye for details, laid directly beneath the foundation of his small home. The pressure of being covered by metal on top of it caused the gas to build up in bubbled bursts, the smelly gas seeping upwards and into the makeshift filtration he had just installed. 

 

Looked like he would need to add a second unit for filtering the air.

 

\---

 

The second day went similarly as it did the day he arrived on Kadara. Most of the day was spent looking for scavenged supplies and eyeing any console he thought looked strong enough to build an encryption with. 

 

The other parts of the day he wasn’t tinkering away fixing his new home was left for waiting, eyeing his omnitool for the awaited first contact message from his new boss.

 

He was beginning to worry that he might have been scammed into thinking the job was not as reliable as the Turian smuggler had made it out to be. Then again it was only the second day since his boss had given him his employment. Velonia did say that it would take a few days before contact was made.

 

Paranoia was a hell of a thing.

 

Still, he had enough food rations to last him a few more days and his weapons concealed in his home to not be messed with by needy scavs. So far no one in the streets above had tried messing with him unarmed so his biotics and fighting skills remained hidden. No need to catch any of the eyes that belonged to the reigning Queen of Kadara. She was one of the few people he wouldn’t want to get hired by.

 

He knew her type all too well. The mind of a strategist with the heart of a ruthless ruler. The way she demonstrated her power among the people was proof enough to know that. She rewarded those who did well for her, yet punished others that could not meet the bare minimum. 

 

If he somehow ended up catching her attention, he would more than likely end up doing the type of job he wanted nothing to do with. The kind he left on Earth and the Milky Way.

 

He sighed, not having any luck in finding a working computer suitable enough for his needs for the third time since arriving. Not even the Angara living on Kadara brought anything of the like with them from wherever they came from. 

 

There was no other choice but to head out along the scavengers and venture into The Badlands.

 

Suppressed excitement bubbled away within him despite how much he denied the feeling. 

 

The weight of the sniper in his hand felt like an old memory resurfacing despite holding it for the first time not even a week ago. Valiants always were his favorite sniper. Though the one he snagged from Elaaden would have to go through a fair amount of modification and calibrations in order for him to be truly comfortable with it. 

 

With a final breath of calm, Koji began his way towards the gate for the Badlands, eyeing a group of scavengers about to do the same and one soon to be exile being pushed forward by the Queen’s men. 

 

The exiles looked like experienced pros, who knows how long they’ve been going in and out of the deadly planet’s protective fence. If he tailed them, Koji wondered if they would notice a few prime items taken before he could get away. If they managed to find something worth value that is. 

  
There was only one way to find out.


	5. The Boss

If the sulfur fumes from within the city were tolerable, the fumes wafting out of the burning lakes were not. 

 

Quickly learning from the now pro scavengers he walked out with, Koji made a makeshift mask from the cloak he arrived planetside with. It would at least spare him breathing in the fumes directly, what with the material his makeshift mask was made out of. Despite having his olfactory receptors protected, Koji’s eyes would occasionally burn from the amount of sulfur in the air he was not used to. 

 

He did his best in following close behind the group of scavengers, the rag tag group not caring if he or the other new exile followed them or not. Every so often they would split up before coming back together an hour later.

 

It was impressive watching them work in scavenging. Despite them only collecting abandoned weapons and armor that were either broken or in low conditions, they managed to build up a fairly large pile of goods. 

 

It was fair to take note, however, that when Koji got too close to the group, they would stop whatever they were doing and watch his actions carefully. If he stepped an inch closer towards them, they would make to draw at whatever weapon they had concealed. 

 

Koji made sure not to push his luck with the neutrally friendly group.

 

When the sun was highest in the sky, the group made its way through the divide of a set of mountains, the narrow road bringing the group closer to what appeared to be a small settlement. The scavengers broke off once again, leaving in different directions in order to circle around the small growing area. 

 

On his own once again, the runaway Pathfinder hid along a cliff’s edge to begin his reconnaissance of the small living area, using the scope of his rifle to get a better view. The foundation of what the half built ‘house’ was made of was in good condition, a trained eye confirming that the rest of the littered building material was of the same state.

 

Continuing to scan the area, Koji noticed the other scavengers beginning to close in, keeping themselves hidden behind the planet’s natural foliage. 

 

_ [Ryder.] _ SAM’s voice started up within Koji’s head, surprising him.  _ [I detect a strong signal coming from what appears to be a device nearby. This may be what you have been searching for.] _

 

Just as the words began to settle within his thoughts, the sound of an alarm went off, the scavenger group nowhere to be seen. In the middle of the settlement, a person that was heavily armored appeared in the middle of the circle of buildings, tossing onto the ground the person that was exiled out of Kadara at the same time he and the scavengers left. The sound of the alarms brought out others who were hidden before within the half built buildings, the scattered exiles becoming an audience to the scene transpiring below. 

 

Koji watched as the exile screamed in pain as their knees were broken with a heavy foot, the sound of bone snapping echoing in the mountain crevice. The sound made him cringe at the brutality of the larger exile, the scene causing memories of a similar situation from his past on Earth to resurface. 

 

In his position, Koji had a perfect shot on either exile. If he were to shoot, he could either end the suffering of the one he left with, or kill the larger brute in order to save him time and danger for when he would make his way inside the buildings to stake claim on the supposed computer they had and take it as his own.

 

A split second was all he needed.

 

The shot rang out and the other onlookers made noises in surprise.

 

The body of the large exile fell to the ground on their knees, hands clutching at the exposed part of the armor around their neck, blood gushing out from a large bullet hole. Behind from where the exile stood, one of the scavengers appeared, uncloaking with a gun in hand. 

 

Through the Valient’s scope, Koji swore the infiltrator scavenger stared him down. 

 

He hadn’t pulled the trigger. 

 

A sound distracted him from letting him put down and kill something that was in his way from getting what he needed. 

 

The orange blinking light on his omnitool let him know that he had received a message. At the worst timing, the message he was so expectantly waiting for finally came through. Indecisiveness made him fault in his chance of staying and helping the scavengers clear up the small settlement sight in order to obtain his much awaited treasure. A quick read through of the message received caused him to quickly change his mind.

 

_Fuck._

 

In a rushed flurry of movement, Koji quickly got up and ran back to the entrance of the slums.

 

It might have been the scratched blip in the message that made it read as urgent. Maybe because it was the first message he received from his mysterious boss being reason enough to cause Koji to run to the port, above the slums, half in excitement half in worry.

 

Maybe it was the second message he received the second he stepped foot on the landing zone that made him battle ready.

 

**Incoming**

 

The black mass of a reclaimed Initiative shuttle, similar to the others littering the port city, came crashing through the atmosphere, its left thruster in flames and half way falling off the ship. 

 

Before any Kadara security could realize what was about to come crash landing on them, a large burst of biotic power provided a cushioned bubble to hold the burning ship in place.

 

The sound of screaming onlookers grated at Koji’s ear drums, trying his hardest to concentrate on placing the destroyed ship down.

 

_ Easy.. easy.. _ he breathed, concentrating on his breathing with closed eyes. The voices of the nearby exiles soon began to disappear, allowing him a quiet moment of clarity, feeling the bottom of the ship touch reclaimed metal. 

 

With one final calm breath exhaled from his mouth, Koji let go of his control of his biotics around the ship, the burnt metal scraping against the landing zone as its weight settled. The burnt thruster fell off unceremoniously, causing the ship to wobble at the change of weight. 

 

A group of security finally managed to make its way to the battered landing zone, pointing their guns to the half intact ship and the door, expecting to draw fire as soon as the pilot responsible for the chaotic event to step out.

 

With a hiss of depressurizing from within the ship, said pilot emerged out, hands expectedly in the air. 

 

“Nice catch.” 


	6. Getting to Work

The barks and stamping feet let him know how many would surround them. How many seconds he would have in between each movement in order to take each of them down. 

The only issue now was his given choice of weapons. Sniper was too slow and without enough ammunition in a single clip to take less than half down before the rest would be able to react and retaliate. The given pistol from the Initiative was too weak of a weapon to do much damage, especially with the strength of the security’s armor. A blade would be perfect if only he had one aside from the one in his omnitool. Biotics would draw too much attention and use up more calories he couldn’t risk wasting in a fight with port security. That was, without considering if he were to attack, he would in turn cause himself to become a public enemy to his new home. He couldn’t risk becoming exiled.

Not when his boss had just shown up.

“Vidal you--!” One of the guards growled, breath noticeably taken from them at the sight of the wreck. A breaking piece of metal fell from the ship as if to prove a point. “Sloane’s gonna ride my ass so hard for this..” 

“Nothing a few buckets of polish couldn’t fix. Besides--” The man known as Vidal shrugged, hands still in the air. “It’s my valuable ship that got damaged.”

The security groaned into the hand he dragged down his face, golden eyes glaring deep into the pilot’s eyes. “Get out of here. Now. You owe me for this, you bastard!”

Being let go with a warning, the pilot waved Koji down to the elevator he was heading to, already halfway there before the security could even finish his sentence. A firm hand to his shoulder prevented Koji from following his new boss immediately, however, Koji’s survival instincts causing him to reach for a blade that wasn’t there. 

“And you.” The security from earlier continued, gloved hand letting go of a tense shoulder. “You did good with yer, ah, blue bubble.” He said, heavy accent dripping through as a look of embarrassment bloomed across his face. The hand he had used to stop the other began to rub at the back of his neck, both turning away from each other.

Confused, but accepting the compliment nonetheless, Koji nodded a thanks before quickly making his way toward the elevator. He could hear the security mumble curses to himself before giving orders to the rest of his squad until the doors to the elevator closed behind him.

“Reyes Vidal.” The voice belonging to his new boss spoke up, hand raising for a greeting. “Velonia has told me, well, little about you aside from the name you chose to go by. Seems you’re a man with secrets.” 

Koji raised his hand as well, gloved hands coming together for a shake. “Everybody has their fair share.”

Reyes chuckled, seeming to agree. Once the lift reached the floor of the slums, the two continued forward, making their way through the crowded alleys and towards the ever so lively nightclub. Deep bass and an electric rhythm played loudly from the speakers, the heavy beats thumping along with Koji’s heartbeat.

At the sight of them, the bartender greeted Reyes with a nod, the pilot nodding back a short greeting before taking the stairs to the upper level of the building. His gaze lingered a little bit longer on Koji before he returned to cleaning a glass that was returned to him from a customer. 

What exactly would this job require me to do if the bartender was suspicious of me? Koji wondered, beginning to feel a bit uninformed and nervous as he followed the pilot into a large room.

“You’re probably wondering just what I have planned for you for this job.” Reyes began, sitting down on a large sofa. It looked to have been made with reclaimed material, probably originally from other sofas stolen from the Initiative. 

“I assumed it would be something similar to what Velonia had me do.” Koji began, thinking back to the reclamation job on Elaaden. “But with the way the bartender eyeballed me, I’m assuming it’s not similar at all.”

Reyes made a face, lips pursed as he waved his hand in a way to show Koji’s answer was somewhat close. “A bit of that, but mostly, I just want you as a bodyguard. If you do good today, I’ll keep you as my personal guard; if not, I’ll assign you to something else.”

Easy enough.

“Just tell me where you want me.”

\---

The day went along smoothly, both Reyes and Koji sticking to the top floor ‘VIP’ room as Reyes had called it. The pilot still sat at his preferred spot on the couch while Koji stood a few feet away near the door, having a comfortable view on his boss and of the door. 

Few people came into the room to speak with Reyes, mostly of packages to be delivered and a few very unlucky drunk pilots coming in to complain. Whatever they blabbered went unheard as they were thrown out of the room almost as soon as they set foot inside. 

The pilot was continuously on and off his omnitool whenever a new client came in for his help, writing down information of packages as well as clients. 

What kind of help, Koji didn’t really know. He had no idea what scavengers and exiles needed help with in transfering things from place to place but the need was abundant apparently. Hell, if the job was in that much of abundance, Koji would have kept his scratched shuttle and started his own business. Remembering how broken his own shuttle was compared to Reyes’ made him really think on it. 

Of course though, it wouldn’t last much with how much a small kiss from the scourge had given his shuttle in damage.

Which brought him to wonder just what Reyes did for his own ship to end up the way it was.

“How much do you know of flying?” Reyes asked, looking up from his omnipad. The orange glow accented his hazel eyes, Koji’s own green looking away from the other. 

He shrugged, mouth tightening in thought. The question didn’t really come out of nowhere, there were moments where the two would talk, asking each other small questions here and there. Or at least, Reyes would be the one asking the questions. “Just what they taught us in flight school in the Alliance.”

“Alliance, huh? That means you have connections within the Nexus? A commander or subordinate that just woke up? Family?” Reyes asked question after the other, hands now placed on the table with his full undivided attention, omnipad turned off and placed down next to him. The growing insistence behind the other’s stare made Koji draw back, further avoiding his stare. The sudden barrage of personal questions made him slightly uncomfortable, paranoia whispering to him in the back of his head that he was asking those questions in order to connect the dots to who Koji really was. Which was something the ex-Pathfinder really didn’t want. SAM’s words of calm went ignored as Koji’s anxiety continued to spike.

“Sorry, didn’t leave on good terms.” 

Not a total lie.

“Shame.” The smuggler clicked his tongue, the sound resonating from his mouth. Hazel eyes stayed on his guard, the feeling of being observed with tactical eyes being more than obvious. “Could have used a person on the inside. The more the merrier.”

A nervous sweat slid down the back of Koji’s neck, taking all it had in him not to rub at the spot. He doesn’t know. SAM assured his partner once more, detecting the rise in anxiety. 

“If you know of anyone who might be able to reach one of the Pathfinders, let me know would you?” Reyes smiled, picking back up his omnipad before standing up and making his way to another room in the upper lounge.

HE KNOWS, RYDER. SAM’s voice elevated inside his head, ear splitting sound causing Koji to flinch in reaction. It was lucky that Reyes had his back turned, or else he would have found out the secret the ex-Pathfinder so desperately wanted to keep from everyone. Hell, he didn’t even know if Reyes’ was the kind of person who didn’t have a problem with AIs. 

With a deep breath to gather his nerves, Koji followed close behind his boss as he made his way out of the club. If Reyes had said where they were going, Koji hadn’t heard, for now just following blindly to continue the guard part of his job.

As if he was confident that his hired guard was right behind him, Reyes spoke without looking back. “We’re going to be busy for the next few days, especially since my current ride is out of commission.” There was a joking tone tinting his words. “I’ll be doing most of the fixing on it, while you will be my errand boy.”

Koji nodded. “As well as your guard.” 

Reyes turned around with a lopsided smile, finger gun snapping at his partner. “Now you’re getting it.” 

It took all it had in Koji to hide his amusement at his boss’s reaction to his quick wit, a small snort spilling out from his firmly pressed lips.

\---

It was obvious Reyes had others working under him, encountering two working forms when they reached the pilot’s broken down ship a little bit away from the security gate separating the Badlands from the Lower Slums of Kadara. The dark colored ship laid partly on its side, already being worked on by a human and Krogan that, as soon as they saw Reyes and Koji approach, stopped what they were doing and began to leave. 

Curious eyes watched the two make their way deep into the slums, green eyes turning back to Reyes as he began to look over what little work the two had done before they had interrupted. 

From the look of it, the two had only just began to weld pieces of the wings that had fallen off when the shuttle took damage. On the dirt floor were the rest of the newer pieces that needed to be welded on. Reyes unlocked the door to the side of the ship, stepping back as the door creaked open. It rumbled as a piece of bent metal refused the door from opening further before snapping to a stop. 

The pilot ran a hand over the bent metal, feeling the damage that was there before turning to Koji and cocking his head to the inside of the ship. “Take out the cargo that’s in there will you?” 

On the order, Koji disappeared inside the ship, allowing Reyes to take a closer look at the damage along the shuttle. 

The obvious scratch and melted metal from the Scourge lined the outer right of the ship. Yet the scratches on the other side were what worried him.

On the bay door were marks of compact explosions, evident enough by drill holes in between sheet metal. 

They had planned to blow him out of the sky. Or at least make it so he spaced himself. 

Question was: who were they?

What did they want with him, and why?

The sound of a heavy crate thumping against dirt brought Reyes back from his thoughts, Koji’s disappearing form going back into the ship for the next cargo that had remained.

Reyes considered himself lucky he had found such a diligent worker. One who didn’t ask questions and just understood the work he was hired for. If only he had found him sooner. It could have prevented the wreckage before him. With the video Velonia had sent him as proof, his new hire could have helped him with more than just that. 

For the time being however, Reyes would just have to keep tabs on him and how he will get the job done. Depending on the frequency of future attacks from his unknown assailants would ultimately prevent him from fully uncovering and identifying who his new hire truly was before allowing him to decide if he wanted him to join the ranks. The name on his ‘resume’ was so obviously a codename he had used before as well. That being a good thing or bad thing, Reyes wasn’t sure yet. 

He would have to keep prodding.

Shoving his nose into his workers business would have to wait. His priority for now was getting his shuttle back into working condition and keeping his business running and safe.


	7. Break

The beat of the club mix resonated through Koji’s body, small rivlets forming along the surface of his drink. He watched the pulsing for a little bit longer before downing the drink in one gulp. The burn of the homebrewed moonshine was welcoming after a week of finally working. As promised, Koji no longer had to worry about how he would get his next meal or drink, Reyes always appearing satisfied after a day of work. Apparently helping him recalibrate his ship to peak performance levels earned him a decent amount of loyalty and friendship points to the point where he was being offered free drinks at the bar they worked from. 

 

Only part that worried Koji was that Reyes seemed to expect some information on him in return. Being vague about his past was wearing thin, the faux smile the smuggler wore beginning to fade.

 

Or maybe that was just his paranoia getting the best of him. In truth, he wanted to tell his boss a bit more to prevent any awkward reveal. Reyes was just a small time smuggler, he didn’t need to be dragged into any political Pathfinder/Nexus lawsuit or whatever form of law enforcement there was in Andromeda. 

 

Not that that kind of thing could be enforced amongst the exiles on Kadara. The chief of the exiles herself would prevent that.

 

Probably.

 

With a sigh, Koji ordered another drink, savoring the burn of the alcohol for a few seconds before quickly swallowing. His break was almost up, SAM reminding him within his own thoughts, Koji pushing himself away from the bar and weaving his way through the dancing crowd. His eyes scanned the gathered people, buzzed gaze lingering on a few rugged aliens dispersed through those gathered nearby. From a drunk Turian scanning for himself a partner for the night, to a short Angaran leaning awkwardly against a bar holding a drink with both hands. Koji made a mental note to himself to check up on them later and find out just how open minded and interested they might be.

 

Once finally out from the crowd, Koji made his way to the stairs for the upper level of the club, only to pause in his tracks. A shady figure decked out in scratched black armor making their way down the stairs of the club caught his attention, the infiltrator turning to his omnitool to check on the drone he had left with Reyes at the beginning of his break. 

 

There were no abnormalities with the small robot, an uneasiness still lingering at the back of his neck. Quickly speeding up the stairs, he was met with Reyes waving him down. 

 

“We’re heading out. Hope your sober enough to drive.” 

 

The small drone appeared, hovering just above the smuggler’s shoulder before connecting back to the charging port on Koji’s belt. The beat of the song playing in the club shifted to a different tune, the louder bass causing Koji to walk beside his boss in order to continue communication. 

 

“I thought you said we’d be leaving in another week?” 

 

A dancing body bumped against Koji. Drunk human female. She burped in his face before wiggling back onto the dance floor.

 

“Got an urgent package. So.. Plans have changed. Get what you need and meet me at the port. You have half an hour.”

 

With that, Reyes left to his ship, omnitool glowing on his arm. Koji was left to do what he needed.

 

Curiosity got the best of him once he reached his home, causing him to begin to wonder just what kind of rush job was needed of a smuggler. Food? Ammunition or weapons? Maybe even people. His thoughts brought him back to the package he had reclaimed on Elaaden. The package was so small he couldn’t think of anything that could be packaged in there without it being damaged from all that it had been through. 

 

With a final click from his pack, Koji hefted his supplies over his shoulder and left his home. With how little he had, there was still a decent amount of time left before the scheduled departure. Figuring he could spend his time wisely, Koji headed to the markets after dropping off his pack at Reyes’ stationed ship. The smuggler wasn’t there yet, evident he was doing his own last minute preparations by how cold the engine to the ship was. The backup drone awoke from the charging port on the pack, assuming security protocols until it was time to head out.

 

The port security let Koji through with only a glance in his direction, their omnitool glowing with a limited security scanner. He breathed in the smell of the market, noticing a very reminiscent smell his memory could only remember coming from the Citadel on his last day staying there. It was the smell of boiling noodles and broth made with space grown, vacuum sealed ingredients. The odd smell made his mouth salivate, despite knowing the taste wouldn’t be comparable to the noodles he grew up with on Earth. Even more so knowing the limited ingredient supply on Kadara. How the chef even made it possible to cook ramen was beyond him.

 

Still didn’t prevent him from sitting down at the half empty booth and ordering himself a plate. The one cooking happened to be a Salarian with a human helper. The two squabbled between each other as they seemed to take turns trying to adjust the flavor of the noodle soup. The broth had a greenish hue to it, something uncommon even with Citadel ramen.

 

Once the serving was handed to him, Koji noted the translucent noodles and the purple slice of meat, obviously chosen or made with the limited vegetation and natural resources from Kadara and from probable stolen goods. Hesitant but hungry, Koji looked over to the other customers who seemed to be happily chowing down on the comfort food. Though the alien’s portions were lacking in some aspects of the ramen.

 

After a quick scan to make sure there would be no dangerous side effects like poisoning, Koji took a small sip of the broth, surprised at the earthy taste. The noodles were light in texture and barely had any flavor. 

 

The purple alien meat however..

 

The texture changed with the heat of the broth. If you took a bite of it without broth, as was Koji’s first bite, it would be slightly chewy, but if accompanied with the heat of the broth it would feel like butter almost. The taste was comparable to cooked yams combined with bacon. 

 

The warmth of the stand-in comfort food almost made Koji moan in happiness, slurping down the rest of the remaining noodles and green broth. He paid for his meal, relishing in the cold water given to him after. 

“I don’t know if I should consider you crazy or smart for trying to pull that off.” A Turian voice next to him laughed, practically hearing them shake their head. Whoever their partner was scoffed in what sounded like frustration.

 

“All of the stuff is just laying there! Not like the current Pathfinder ever shows up there enough to notice a few missing things!”

 

_ Oh? _ Koji’s ears perked at the title of Pathfinder, wondering if they meant on stealing from his old quarters or his sisters. Maybe even their father’s. SAM chimed in with reassuring words that no one would be able to get into either of their quarters considering the high ranked security posted there. Koji didn’t care, he just wanted to hear what the poor thief’s master plan was. 

 

“Ok, look.” The thief began, Koji taking a peak at the one talking. Human. “Since the revolt and exile, there’s been an unsteady chain in security. Kandros is top dog with his second, sure but other than that, there are few security who are recurring.”

 

_ Wrong. _ SAM interjected, Koji almost laughing at the naivety of the would be thief. He would only get himself locked up or executed for even trying to get into a high leadership quarters for petty theft.

 

“Ok, so say your plan does work. Is there even anything in there worth stealing?” The Turian spoke while slurping on noodles. His friend laughed darkly to himself, like a kid ready to cause mayhem on a kid they bully. 

 

“There’s been word going around that the dead Pathfinder had a bottle of some aged alcohol he was saving for when they colonized the first planet. Seems one of the Nexus higher ups been trying to get their hands on it.” 

 

Tann most likely, considering the one in charge of colonial affairs didn’t seem the type to care for that sort of thing. The slimey accountant would do whatever to gain people’s favors, even if it meant taking things to repurpose them.

 

“There’s also this other thing,” The thief continued. “Some fancy sword the old man had. Could sell it to the security queen here and make decent creds.” 

 

Now  _ that _ peaked Koji’s interest. He hadn’t realized his father had brought that along with them on the trip over. Last he heard, his father had it melted. 

 

“So you’re going to risk your behind for an old man’s sword. A  _ dead _ old man’s sword--”

 

Koji didn’t wait to hear the rest. It wasn’t his father’s sword, it was  _ his _ . The damned sword that had him disgraced by his father, that had helped him survive in a time he thought he couldn’t  That sword was as much of a partner to him as his unit in the alliance was. 

 

He wasn’t about to let some petty thief take it and sell it to a stranger for a measly amount of credits.  He would take it back for himself. There would be no one to stop him now with his father gone.

 

Only problem would be getting back onto the Nexus without them drawing fire at the sight of him. He was technically an exile now, their reaction to seeing him would differ greatly depending on who it was that saw. The leaders that had branded him a traitor, the crew he was assigned to. They would want to shoot on sight. If he avoided them, he could easily sneak in and back out.

 

As an infiltrator, the idea was exciting. As someone who’d been on the run and wanted before, it worried him. If he were to try and take from the Nexus, there was no telling how long he would have to live.

 

He would have to think on it another time, however, as his omnitool began to ring with the alarm he had set. There was a minute remaining to his half hour prep time, enough for him to make it back to the docks and start the ship for his boss.

 

As if there was even any need to do so, considering who his boss was. The man loved his ship and he showed it. From building it back up from the wreck it was to now, currently warming up the ships engines and prepping it for space travel.

 

Reyes greeted Koji once he entered the ship with a wave, the small dark drone floating back to the charging port now that his owner had arrived. He gave the drone a look, recalling earlier that his other drone had stayed particularly close to the one they were meant to watch over. The only one they would actually stay closer to originally was him and him alone.

 

_ SAM? _ Koji asked in his thoughts. He felt the AI perk up at his name, but did not respond.  _ Did you put a little bit of yourself into my drones last time I worked on them? _

 

The engines roared to life after last minute preps from its pilot. Reyes was busy bringing the thrusters online in order to set sail, being completely distracted and not noticing how Koji was acting. 

 

The AI hesitantly spoke up, surprising Koji that he could sound ashamed.  _ It enhanced their security systems and reaction time by 3.5%. If it bothers you, next time you work on them I can retract that upgrade. _

 

Koji withheld a chuckle, sitting in the co-pilot’s seat of the shuttle. Reyes gave him a once over before beginning departure and breaking through the atmosphere.

 

_ I just didn’t know you could do that. Thought you’d be stuck in my body.  _ The impressed tone made SAM shift within his host’s conscious, reacting to being praised for the first time. The feeling was odd. Like getting stomach butterflies but in your head and neck.

 

_ I was originally just code, Koji.  _

 

Koji smiled to himself, fingers on the dash keeping the ship stable during space travel. 

 

\----

 

Their first trip ended up being an icy planet named Voeld. Despite being inside an insulated ship, the bitter cold from outside caused Koji’s fingers to almost turn blue. Reyes barely seemed fazed by it, stepping out of the ship to greet his clients and other pleasantries. The packages given to them were medium in size yet weighed like a box full of books. Koji secured the packages in the back of the ship, waiting with the cargo for Reyes to finish talking to the client. 

 

Despite it being freezing cold outside, the client hardly wore a thing, Koji noting how thicker, for lack of better words, the Angaran client was compared to the other few Angaran he’s seen. Once the two were done, Reyes sat back down at the pilot’s seat. Even from the back of the ship, Koji could hear his boss’ teeth chattering. 

 

“Still alive back there?” Reyes asked, struggling not to show that he was freezing through his words. Koji, however, didn’t care. It was freezing.

 

“U-u-uh-h-huh..” Teeth chattering barely made him able to respond, Koji trying desperately to warm his numb fingers. SAM’s worried tone for the two of them only caused Koji to wrap his arms tighter around himself.

 

The shuttle finally broke through the snowstorm and through the atmosphere, the ship’s heating system evening out the temperature within it once the constant barrage of snow and ice was gone, before the ship had a chance to freeze over in space. 

 

“Please tell me I won’t be freezing my ass off on the next planet we land on..” Koji half-whined, still trying to rid the blue from the tips of his fingers. He could hear a half-hearted chuckle from where he was.

 

“You won’t.”

 

He surprisingly didn’t. 

 

He was, however, burning.

 

Elaaden. A place he never wanted to set foot on again, was the second planet on their run, arriving on the second day. Just as he had first crash landed on the planet, Koji was once again grateful the interior of the shuttle was cooler compared to the boiling heat outside. 

 

Koji wanted to cry. 

 

“We might be here a while. The deal here is going to be sensitive so I’m going to need you to be at my side 24/7. Got it?”

 

“Yes sir.”

 

With that, the two made their way into the desert in their cargo shuttle, flying over outpost after outpost until there was only sand and remnant ruins. A bad feeling grew in the center of Koji’s chest, when the mountains parted, revealing a small settlement at the edge of a cave. 

 

Anxiety crept up the muscles on his back as the ship settled near the entrance of the settlement, all eyes of the nearby guards stuck on them and their shuttle. From what Koji could tell, they were well armed, assault rifles both custom made and brand built strapped on their person. 

 

Reyes looked confident as he walked out, waving at a well armed and heavy armored greeter, both he and Koji following them deeper into the cave. 

 

The cavern in the mountain was bigger than it appeared, tunnels within the inner workings leading to deeper areas within the mountain. Barricades had been set up near and along the makeshift buildings, a guard or two always nearby. There were two ET3’s that once belonged to the Nexus parked in their own compound near an entrance to a tunnel, blocked by what looked like large storage pods, the six wheeled vehicles being worked on by the scavengers of the cave.

 

The Heavy was talking with Reyes in hushed tones about the deal going down, Koji barely catching that it was a purchase for another group on Kadara. When he began to connect together if it was the same group that Reyes had working on his ship, the two stepped into a building. Before Koji could step a foot inside, a deep, thunderous voice called out to him.

 

“Ryo!” 

 

Followed by a heavy impact on his jaw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I call this chapter, writing while hungry and craving alcohol. The Andromeda ramen is also a ref to the noodles on the Citadel 


	8. One of Those Days

The science station rattled as the docks of the port opened to let one of the many space crafts out into open spaceway. Koji could see the ship depart from the window of his room.

 

The room was built from what once was a multi crew escape shuttle, repurposed to accommodate the people who lived on the station. Due to lowering funds, many others had to make their own rooms from old pods, many in varying conditions. 

 

The station was for farming and plant based genetic research, something almost uncommon those days. Many funds donated by Earth sponsors were sent to colonies on other planets.

 

Those type of research stations were becoming a dying breed. Why spend so much money transporting supplies to a station when you could grow the same plants on the dirt of a new colony?

 

Same as the station was, the plants were in the same condition. Despite being cared for every hour of every passing day, the edges of the plants leaves were beginning to turn brown and rot. The green was under stress in each of those hours, in each of those days that no matter how much they tried, the scientist would continue to fail. Maybe in a sense, the scientists and the plants were much more alike. Everything on the station was under heaping amounts of stress it was only a matter of time before they all began to rot away.

 

Koji was no different. The moment he set foot on the station he could feel the stress rot away at him. His body, his sanity. All of it was rotting. 

 

No matter how much he seeked out, whether physical attention or emotional, it didn’t change. He was rotting. 

 

Beads of sweat floated centimeters away from his gaze staring out the window. A sign of the rot spreading again. The grunts he had blocked out were sounding within his small room, sharp talon like fingers scratching away at his hips. 

 

The krogan hadn’t seem to have noticed his human partner had drifted away to other thoughts. Thoughts that didn’t include him.

 

“Nux, that’s enough.” Koji groaned, using enough strength to push himself away mid-float in his anti gravity pod. Globs of the Krogans spunk began to escape from within him, the amount making Koji feel disgust. 

 

It was going to be a pain cleaning it up.

 

There was pain all of a sudden. The black he had seen for a split moment blurred back out to show where he truly was. He wasn’t on a space station in the Milky Way. He was light years away in some shitty hideout.

 

The ceiling of the cave hideout spun as Koji came crashing down onto the rough rock floor, the sound of his impact echoing in the cave. As his vision spun, he could hear Reyes exclaim in surprise, the defining sound of weapons readying to fire sounding from all around him.

 

“Wait..!” Koji groaned, picking himself up from the floor and onto the person who had slugged him hard on the jaw. A familiar laugh rumbled in his ear, a tight grip pulling him up from his arm.

 

“Nux.” 

 

The Heavy next to Reyes snapped, giving the Krogan a chastising look. Neither them, nor the other guards lowered their weapons from Reyes and Koji.

 

“You okay there?” Reyes asked, suddenly seeming a lot closer to Koji’s injured figure than he was before. The pistol he had in his hand was still raised, despite being heavily outnumbered. And out Kroganed. 

 

“It’s fine.” He groaned, rubbing at the spot of impact on his jaw. Koji’s words made Nux huff out a breath loudly from his mouth, eyes showing nothing but malice. “Just my ex.”

 

Focused gazes that weren’t covered by protective helmets shot wide open in surprise, both Reyes and the scavengers turning to look at him, then the Krogan, then to him again.

 

_ That release of information made the situation awkward Ryder. _ SAM chastised within Koji, feeling himself begin to turn red from all the staring. Even the AI was embarrassed at him. 

 

“You fucked a Krogan?” One of the braver scavengers asked, shuffling on their feet. 

 

“We need to talk, Ryo.” Nux growled, glaring his one good eye to the scavver that spoke up. Before Reyes could say anything, Koji shot him an embarrassed look that read  _ Don’t worry _ , handing him his small drone from before, before following the pouting Krogan. 

 

The deal that had been put to a halt began to slowly start up again and continue, weary eyes watching Reyes’ guard walk away alongside their Krogan fighter. A curious guard was flung away by the Krogan, allowing the two to be alone. 

 

Static started up in Koji’s ear, hidden hand maneuvering around data on his omnipad, orange glowing dimly in the middle of his palm. The light flickered off once voices came through the earpiece the infiltrator wore, Reyes’ hushed words of what he came to do filling his ear.

 

“Ryo. You lied to me.” Nux’s words came with a harsh breath, hot air crashing against the human’s face. Koji snapped back, flinching against the metal wall they walked behind earlier. “You were here for a package. HIS package.” 

 

Stressed balled away at the back of his shoulder blades, fingers twitching and shaking when biotics began to build up at his fingertips. “Maybe I did.” He sighed, trying to blink away any emotion that was trying to worm its way to the surface of his facial features. Being around the Krogan for so long like he had been long ago, let him know the other wasn’t the best at determining if a human was lying or hiding their emotions. “Or maybe it is just coincidence I ended up working for a guy your group stole from?”

 

The Krogan began to growl, eyes flickering down as he thought on the others words. Sweat ran down the back of Koji’s neck, blinking away building perspiration from his eyes. Reyes voice continued coming through the connection, sounding as though the deal was almost done. Guns would be delivered to a group on Eos and Kadara, as well as the home planet of the Angara. Apparently the scavengers Nux worked with now were just the makers of the weapons many exiles used, one of the few who traded for supplies and allies.

 

_ Was that the reason why Nux was with this group now than the one before? _

 

“So tell me--” Koji coughed, getting the others attention back on him. Red eye flicked to stare at him before looking around, making sure no one was around or coming towards them. “--why’d you join this group? Did your last one kick you out?” 

 

“They were wiped out, goddamn weaklings.” 

 

The slums were three stories full of exiles, area filled with security at every turn. Despite being low tech, the alarms required at least two fail safes to be used in order to turn off once triggered. Whoever took out that group had to have a large amount of fire power. Not only that, but they let Nux go. Nexus was the best bet but they weren’t welcomed there by exiles and scavengers alike, meaning it had to be a small platoon. Maybe a small mobile fleet at most. It didn’t make sense, especially considering the state the Nexus was in last Koji saw of them. 

 

_ Maybe Mie finally got things in order. Taking charge was always a thing she instantly flocked to. She could have set up Apex like Kandros had asked me to do.  _ Koji continued in his thoughts, palm rubbing against the scruff on his jaw. 

 

The knowledge that his sister was now on the move closer and closer to where he worked and lived made him nervous. The pit of his stomach ached, turning like a sharp knife was dug in it.

 

He didn't want to see her. Not yet. 

 

He couldn't face her, after he ran away for the third time.

 

“Nux. The boss wants to have a word with you.” A helmeted scavenger popped their head from around the wall, quickly ducking behind when a Krogan fist came towards their head. 

 

The brute alien’s muttering voice could barely be heard as he began to walk away. “Eavesdropping bastard..”

 

With a sigh, Koji rolled his shoulder, trying to ease the tension growing there. His worries would have to be put aside. If his sister was on the move or if an Apex group was making its way closer towards his area of work, Koji would have to do his best to avoid encountering them. Keeping his face hidden would be easy, though having SAM with him, an AI would be easily noticeable with others who had scanners. 

 

_ Unless.. _ The ex-pathfinder stopped in his tracks as another thought appeared.  _ Another Pathfinder was found and they’re just doing their part of the job.  _

 

The Turian, Salarian and Asari Pathfinders were all missing alongside their respected Arks. If any of them had drifted slightly off course from their designated planets it would have been possible they were stranded somewhat close to Kadara's and Elaaden's sectors, signals being unreachable due to the Scourge's wall surrounding the planets. The only people who would have noticed would have been the exiles who made those planets their home, as well as the Angara. 

 

If that was what was going on then Koji didn't have to worry. He wouldn't have to meet Mieko any time soon and he could concern himself with just surviving his new life as a bodyguard.

 

_ Speaking of bodyguard. _ . Koji quickly made his way back to Reyes, opening the door of the small building a meter into the cave to find a small exchange between the smuggler and weapons dealer. The woman looked young, pulling back in recoil at Koji's sudden appearance. She quickly hid what Reyes had given her in exchange for a small chip he tucked into one of the many pockets he had in his jacket.

 

“Good to see you survived.” Reyes greeted, handing back the small drone to its owner. Again, the drone had been hovering closer to Reyes like before. Koji nodded, stepping to the side as his boss made his way out the door. The meeting had been concluded.

 

The two made their way back out of the cave, a few of the exiles watching them in regard to either the meeting concluding fruitfully or in fear and awkwardness at the knowledge of Koji being the only human they now knew of successfully mating with a Krogan and living to tell the tale. Either way, the two looked to have gained respect from the group. 

 

It bothered Koji but at least it was only about his sex life and not about anything personal. 

 

Once out in the sun, Koji let out a disgusted sigh of being met with the harsh heat and sun rays greeting his skin, feeling pools of sweat already trickling down his back and chest.  The two quickly made their way back to their ship, once inside turning on the cooling system with a sigh of relief. Both quickly unzipped their body suits and took off any excess jackets, letting the crooks of their arms bathe in the cold air. 

 

“I hate this planet..” Koji sighed, running his hand up and down his face to wipe away any sweat near his eyes. 

 

An awkward laugh came from next to him, Reyes avoiding eye contact as he started the ship. 

 

“I do to.” 

 

The ship soared over the desert again, mile after mile of dunes and rock formations being the only thing they saw for miles. The expanse of nothing bothered Koji, coming to conclusion that the whole planet was out to get him. In the first place, he could never handle the heat, whenever his body would overheat led to him fainting on the spot. If he were honest, he was lucky to have not done such a thing when he made an emergency landing a month ago on Elaaden. If he had he never would have left, more than likely had everything stolen from him.

 

It was only when the ship reached the edge of a large crater on the moon planet that Reyes began to land, causing Koji to recoil to a propped up position in his chair.

 

“We’re not leaving yet.” Koji asked, the words coming out more like a statement than a question. The pilot raised his eyebrows briefly, as if that would answer the not-question, seeming to avoid his partner’s gaze as he settled the ship on the ground, engines humming off.

 

Koji stopped himself from complaining. He was on the clock after all, his boss was more than likely keeping track at how he reacted to deliveries and such. He began to chew on his bottom lip, regret and embarrassment growing in him at just how much of his unprofessional side he let slip out and showed to his boss. 

 

A hand pushed at the greasy hair falling across his brow, deft hands quickly tying them up with a piece of string he snapped off from his worn out sleeve. Koji sighed to himself, tying the knot quickly on his now small bun before following his boss out the ship. 

 

Reyes groaned when the still burning afternoon sun hit his eyes, using his hand to make a makeshift visor as the two made their way to the small outpost nearby. Similarly to the weapons dealer’s hideout, a guard came to escort the two inside.

 

Koji took in the way the exile’s armor looked. It was made of decent materials, more than likely recycled metal and fabric from the basic protective armor the Initiative provided.  _ It looks upgraded though.  _ Koji mused to himself, bringing his attention back to what his boss was doing. 

 

The small outpost was cooler inside, despite the large windows letting in the harsh sun rays. Even so, Reyes looked calm and unbothered compared to how relieved he acted when he had stepped into the cool cavern hideout earlier in the day. The difference in attitude was something to take note of, seeing as the usual charming and playful attitude he always carried with him was nowhere to be seen. Now, he was all business, Koji wondering what exactly that business was. 

 

“--Water deliveries and a batch of newly made rifles will make their way in two days. Make sure there is enough water to last a month. If there isn’t you know what to do.” Reyes’ voice could be heard from the room Koji was in, making his way closer to inspect what the two were looking at. 

 

The exile had an omnitool projecting a map of the planets Koji and Reyes had traveled to and from, including another two planets they hadn’t gone to yet. The furthest one on the map brought a feeling of deja vu to cloud over Koji’s thoughts, a memory of his father scolding him playing like a movie behind his eyes.  The words Reyes spoke sounded muffled and distant, Koji trying his hardest to blink away the fog and return to listening to what his boss was saying.

 

A tremor shook inside of Koji’s very being, taking all it had in him to not let out a shaking sigh he wanted to let out. When his eyes began to gloss over at the holographic image of the planet, Koji retreated outside and stood under a tree the exiles had spared when they built their new home. 

 

Once outside, the broken sigh all but forced itself out from within Koji, feeling the familiar feeling of SAM waking up inside his thoughts. It seemed the AI had given his human counterpart space to himself, Koji wondering if his father had programmed that into him, knowing now that he had meant for SAM to be transferred into him from the beginning.

 

_ Are you ok, Ryder? _ The AI asked, earning a small sad laugh in response.

 

“Shouldn’t you know if I am.” Again, the words came out more like a statement than a question. The feeling of SAM shifting within himself made him grit his teeth, knowing full well the AI might be running a health diagnostic on him or even probing his memories for what could have triggered the rush of sadness to burst from within him. “If you try to psychoanalyze me I’ll rip your implant out with my bare hands.”

 

The growl of a threat caused the AI to stop their shifting, settling back down.  _ Ryder what you are feeling is a form of PTSD. It isn’t healthy to-- _

 

“I don’t need advice from a computer.” Koji hissed.

 

“Um.”

 

The sound of crunching sand snapped Koji back to attention, hand now raised with glowing biotics ready to damage whatever tried to sneak up on him. One of the exiles that had been inside was now a few feet away, an arm raised in defense at the other’s sudden alertness. In the other hand they were holding a small case, medium in size and flat in width. “This is for you. Courtesy of the boss.”

 

With that, the exile turned around and quickly left back inside the outpost, door closing behind them.

 

A feeling of awkwardness began to replace pent up anger from before, buzzing biotics fluttering off as Koji sheepishly rubbed at his neck. If he had hurt the exile it would have been bad news.

 

Turning his attention to the package now in his hands, Koji forced himself to be interested in what was inside, peeking into the thin metallic casing. Eyes widening, Koji made his way inside the ship, quickly undressing himself.

 

Tossing his torn outfit onto one of the benches in the back cargo bay, deft hands picked up what was inside the package to stare at it in all its glory.

 

It was a protective suit, similar to the ones given back on the Ark before making first contact in Andromeda. The visible difference between the one he was gifted and the one from the Initiative was very obviously the color as well as the protective mesh-like material the cloth was made of. It was a dark grey hue with green undertones, similar in pattern to the ones the exiles were currently wearing. In the package were also a set of matching holsters and pouches, an added touch for the look of the gift.

 

Quickly slipping it on, Koji was surprised at how light it felt. It reminded him of the custom uniforms he was lent while off on an infiltrating mission during his boot camp days. Of course the difference in quality was vastly different, yet he wondered if he could perform the same.  

 

The material fit perfectly along his lower body, letting the top dangle unzipped while he adjusted the belts and holsters to his hip.

 

In the moment he was about to zip himself fully clothed, the door to the ship opened, Reyes getting an eyeful of Koji's scarred back. 

 

Koji swore he saw a glint of interest in his boss’ eyes before the other passed him up as he made his way to his seat. 

 

“I see they gave you a gift.” Reyes began, dropping the other packages he must have received inside on the floor behind his chair. The ship's engines hummed to life, slowly preparing for space travel. 

 

“Said it was from their boss. Guess this would be part of our payment?” Koji answered, his words earning a small ‘tsk’ from his boss. With his new suit fully zipped, Koji turned while adjusting his cloak and weapons back around his shoulders and onto his holsters to look at the pilot. 

 

“Your payment was gonna end up going to new armor anyway.” Reyes sighed, expression looking slightly glum. Eyebrows curved in question, Koji wondering why the other would react that way. 

 

Before the ship began to take off, Koji secured himself in the loading dock bench, catching the sliding packages Reyes had left and securing them with the rest of the cargo. The shift in his stomach due to breaking through the planet's atmosphere radiated all the way to his head, the hit from earlier in the day beginning to throb once again. 

 

With a crack of his neck, Koji turned on his omnitool and ran a scan on the many implants he had in him. It didn't feel like a shift in place of his implants but it was always good to make sure. He couldn't risk anything else disrupting his already unstable sense of control.

 

Reyes noticed the orange glow emanating from the back of his usually dark ship once they were now in the dead of space, taking a quick glance to check on his employee. “Does it hurt where you were hit earlier?” He asked, returning his attention to piloting in scourge free space. 

 

A small barely held in groan escaped Koji's lips, lowering the brightness of his omnitool when the light stung at his tired eyes. “Just a quick scan since I didn't do a check after it happened.” 

 

The usual stress levels beeped in a reddish color, followed by an unsaturated yellow marking his implants were in the clear and undamaged. With a satisfied sigh Koji turned the scanner off, casting a glance to see if his boss had seen any of the results. 

 

The ship shook with turbulence from a nearby asteroid belt, the pilot effectively winding his ride through it with no damage. At the speed of how his heart began to race, a sweating palm gripped tightly onto the metal holders, Koji biting onto his bottom lip in reflex at being startled. 

 

“So this trip ended up lasting for more than I expected, it becoming a sort of rush job.” Reyes began, gaze glancing behind before turning to check back on the path he was taking back to Kadara. “You sustained a minor injury but I want you to get it checked out once these packages are done being delivered to their new owners.”

 

“I'm fine--” Koji began to retort before being interrupted with a quick stern glance. 

 

“That red light said otherwise.” The words tinted with a lecture-ish tone brought Koji to look away, shame making his heart thump loudly in his chest. “I can't have my bodyguard failing me so early on into this job. I still have harder things that would need to be done and I need you in tip top shape. Think of this as taking sick leave.”

 

A childish click of his tongue slipped out of him before he had time to realize and stop it. “Japanese don't really believe in sick days.”

 

That earned him another stern glare. With a huff of air, Koji sheepishly agreed, settling into the bench with a pout.

 

The long ride back to Kadara was an awkward one, with Koji, in the end, being almost kicked out in front of the slums doctor by Reyes as soon as they broke through the planet's atmosphere. Frustration at the other's stubbornness was plain on the smuggler's face, earning a resigned look to stay plastered on the hired infiltrator's the whole ride back.

 

“I'll see you in three days.” Reyes informed his hireling with a pat on the back before he made his way back to his ship. “If anything comes up I'll let you know.”

 

Still not giving up, Koji made quick to speak up, hands cupping themselves around his mouth as if that would make his voice louder than it could go. “Didn't you hire me as a bodyguard? How am I supposed to guard your body when I'm not there?” 

 

A bark of a laugh came from his boss, the smuggler turning around but not stopping from his path. “I made it 2 years without you here in Andromeda. I think I can survive 3 days.”

 

It ended up being only 2 days before Reyes called on his guard to return to work.


End file.
